Sandy''s face went white as a sheet. Had Anastasia found out about Herman?


    If Anastasia was rushing back to Riverdale, it could only mean the secret that Herman was alive had slipped out.


    Sandy didn''t even bother stepping into the hospital room. Instead, she hurried outside, dialing Sean''s number as she moved quickly. "Sean, Anastasia''s heading back to Riverdale. She''s caught wind of Herman. Where is he now? How did you let this happen? Did he run into someone?"


    Sandy was still clueless about what was happening over in Riverdale.


    Sean was equally confused. "How could Anastasia possibly know? Herman hasn''t met anyone. I''ve been with him the whole time. We just strolled around the Night Market. He got some snacks and bubble tea, but he didn''t talk to anyone or bump into any familiar faces."


    "Then what on earth is going on?" Sandy pressed. "Someone must''ve seen Herman. Sean, you need to hide him. Do whatever it takes. We can''t let anyone find him."


    Sandy was racking her brains, trying to figure out how to stop Herman. She should have kept a closer eye on him and never let him go to Riverdale in the first ce.


    Sean assured her, "Leave it to me, Sandy. I''ve got this."


    After hanging up, Sandy headed to the hospital where Nichs was staying. She needed him to call Herman, ying the fatherly card to reel him back.


    Nichs, terrified of losing his son Herman, was willing to do anything. Without Herman, what did he have left to live for? He''d already sacrificed a leg; there was no way he was letting go of Herman now.


    When Nichs called, Herman had just returned to his hotel room. He listened in silence.


    Nichs''s voice was filled with pain. "Son, what are you doing in Riverdale? I''m on myst legs here. Come back. I''m afraid I won''t hold on long enough to see you onest time..."


    Herman, smoking a cigarette, listened to Nichs''s words without a hint of emotion. He was cold, detached.


    He knew Nichs, Sandy, and Sean were all trying to deceive him. Their words were nothing more than noise to him.


    The Night Market in Riverdale felt strangely familiar, likeing home.


    Unless he could find his true self, Herman had no intention of returning.


    After Nichs finished his call, Sandy rang in next. "George, your father''s in a bad way. His wound''s infected, and he''s burning up with fever. He can''t even sleep from the pain. You may want to find your past, but you can''t just abandon him. He''s your real father."


    "Sandy, whatever your reasons for hiding my past, I''ll figure it out myself," Herman replied, his voice calm andposed. "That''s all I have to say."


    Herman didn''t borate further, leaving Sandy with a heavy heart and a sense of foreboding.


    Sandy''s mind raced as she plotted her next move. She needed to ensure her own safety.


    She considered a drastic measure. If Herman was determined to uncover his memories and refused to truste her, the secret she had kept hidden for so long would be exposed, turning a potential ally into an enemy.


    If Herman regained his memory, he would surelye after her, and dismantling the Morton Group would be a breeze for him.


    Considering the consequences, Sandy decided to take decisive action. What use was a rebellious man?


    Sandy drove to the Willow Creek Vi and headed to the basement storage room.


    The room was small, about ten by ten feet, housing a workbench. Normally, the door was locked, and no one ever went in.


    Even though Herman had lived there for months, he had never set foot in the storage room.


    Tools for extracting substances from apple seeds wereid out on the workbench.


    Sandy nned to use the same trick again: extract cyanide from apple seeds to poison Herman. If she controlled the dosage, Herman'' would end up paralyzed, just like Tavon had.


    A paralyzed man couldn''t run around, could he?


    With a chilling calm, Sandy donned gloves and took a knife to the apples, her


    demeanor shifting to something sinister.


    She methodically extracted the seeds, then processed them to extract the cyanide poison.


    Three hourster, she sessfully stored the poison in a small ss vial. After cleaning the scene, she put on a baseball cap and left the vi, heading straight for the airport.


    She booked the earliest flight for the next day. It was toote for thest flight


    tonight, bute dawn, she''d be off to Riverdale.


    During those few hours, she could only hope Sean could stall long enough to keep Anastasia from finding Herman.